Andy Rubin, who (perhaps ironically) oversaw the development of the Android operating system, is in charge of the project. He has stated that Google has a “10-year vision” for its robotics interests.

“We’re building hardware, we’re building software. We’re building systems; so one team will be able to understand the whole stack”.

However, despite rumours to the contrary, Google has explicitly stated that it does not plan to create any kind of robot for consumer purchase, leading some to speculate that the resulting Google product will be used to handle deliveries, thus going head-to-head with Amazon’s proposed Prime Air Project (which would use unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers by air).

The company itself has remained cagey regarding details. The official word so far is that “Any description of what Andy and his team might actually create are speculations of the author and the people he interviewed”

That’s what we get for asking nicely.

The project will operate between offices in Palo Alto, California and Japan.

The companies taken over by Google specialize in an esoteric mixture of robotics-based sciences. For example, Japanese acquisition ‘Schaft’, taken over earlier this year, specialize in the creation and operation of humanoid robots, while American company ‘Holomni’ work mainly with caster wheel modules that can accelerate a vehicle’s motion in any direction.

At this point in time, despite lots of media interest, just what Google plan to do in the field of robotics is anybody’s guess, however it should be noted that the science of robotics has come along in great leaps over the past several decades. Perhaps it is time for a Google Android in every home?

During a recent interview with the New York Times, Mr. Rubin described robotics as “A green field” and it will certainly be interesting to see what grows from this.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

The 50th Anniversary episode of popular British TV show ‘Doctor Who’, which aired on Saturday 23rd November, has broken the world record for largest ever simulcast of a television drama.

A simulcast is a simultaneous broadcast that is viewed via more than one medium.

In the UK alone, some 10.2 million people tuned in to the BBC show, although others still would have digitally recorded the special in order to view it at a time better suited to them.

The episode, entitled ‘Day of The Doctor’ was broadcast on TV in 94 countries, as well as being screened in 1,500 cinemas around the globe. It is also being streamed online via BBC iPlayer, for those who either missed the first showing, or would simply like to see it again.

Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday presented the show’s head writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, with a special certificate in commemoration of the event, on Sunday. In response, Moffat joked that after years of preventing others from conquering the world, the Doctor had done it himself.

‘Day of The Doctor’ is the 799th episode of the long running show, which first aired in 1963. The series was cancelled in 1989, but was resurrected in 2005 by executive producer Russell T. Davies.

The feature-length anniversary episode starred Matt Smith as the titular Doctor, teaming him up with previous Doctor David Tennant and veteran actor John Hurt (who played an as-yet unseen incarnation of the character, known only to fans as ‘The War Doctor’).

The show also starred Jenna Coleman as the Doctor’s companion, Clara, Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and fan-favourite Billie Piper as a variation on her previous character, Rose Tyler.

Long time fans were also especially pleased to see the return of actor Tom Baker, who portrayed the character of The Doctor from 1974 – 1981.

Via contemporary special effects and cunning use of old footage, all of the actors who have played The Doctor appeared to some degree. Viewers were also treated to a brief glimpse of Peter Capaldi (the actor positioned to be the next Doctor) in the role.

The show continues a tradition of sorts, in which returning former stars have celebrated the series’ anniversaries. The 10th anniversary of the show in 1973 featured the return of past actors William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton for a special entitled ‘The Three Doctors’. In 1983, the programme’s 20th anniversary saw the return of Troughton and Jon Pertwee for the special episode called ‘The Five Doctors’. In other instances, past Doctors have appeared in 1985’s ‘The Two Doctors’ and the 2007 BBC Children in Need Special ‘Time Crash’.

Fan response to the show was generally positive, with massive activity on Facebook, Twitter and others, but not all fans were impressed. Christopher Ritchie, writing for Dr.WhoTV.co.uk, suggested that the ending of the show devalued the impact of key events in the character’s history, going as far as to call it a “degeneration” of the relaunched series.

However, the vast majority of the show’s fans, both old and young, were hugely impressed with the episode, with multiple Tweets praising the show’s attention to its history and legacy, as well as the heaps of praise for the performances of Smith, Tennant and Hurt. Fans were sharing their favourite quotes with one another online within minutes of the closing credits.

The 74-minute special will be available on DVD and download from December 2nd.

Saturday, 18 January 2014

“Gotham City. Maybe it’s all I deserve, now. Maybe it’s just my time in Hell…”

As an opening line, it’s right up there with the one about the dead dog in the alleyway that greets you as you first read ‘Watchmen’. Right away, you can tell that this book is something special. It just grabs you and steadfastly refuses to let go.

Ignoring the controversy caused by this particular reprinting (that’s a blog for another time), what we have here is an enduring graphic classic. It is a gritty piece of exquisitely rendered pulp-noir that has been in high demand since its first printing (in four single issues) back in 1987.

I’ll delve into the backstory, even though you probably know it all by now. In 1986, DC comics decided to revamp their entire line of characters and comic books. Following a monster comics event known as ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ the readers and creators found themselves with a veritable tabula rasa upon which to create new stories and furnish them with the rich tapestry of established DC comics concepts, characters and ideas. To this end, The Batman was given an expanded origin story that reflected the sombre, acidic, sometimes brutal nature of his more recent adventures.

Writer Frank Miller volunteered for this daunting task and hand picked rising young star David Mazzucchelli to tackle the art duties. The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m not even going to bother to find faults or flaws with this masterful piece of pulp storytelling. I’m sure they are there, if you care to look for them, but I’m afraid that, when it comes to this volume, I’m like the old man who still swears that his aged wife is as beautiful and radiant as the day he married her. I don’t see flaws, only beauty.

Told largely from the point of view of young Lieutenant Jim Gordon (recently transferred to the Gotham Police Department from Chicago), ‘Batman: Year One’ follows both the Dark Knight and his greatest ally through their most formative 12 months. There are no supervillains; there is no Bat-signal, no Batmobile and no Robin. There are just two men who have embarked on individual missions to make this world a better place and happen to cross paths somewhere along the way.

Everything in this book is stripped back, stark and uncompromising. A freezing cold colour palette (although that depends on which version you read) amplifies the emotional alienation of both men, as Gordon becomes slowly separated from his Wife and Bruce Wayne becomes (arguably) annexed from his sanity.

The violence is savage, claustrophobic and hard hitting. A nihilistic riposte to the day-glo captions of the Adam West and Burt Ward TV show of the 60’s, its cartoon ‘BIFFS’ and ‘POWS’ rendered here as achingly wince inducing as possible.

Here, Batman is forced to rely on training and ingenuity, he makes mistakes, but he’s still Batman and that’s what counts.

Both men are stretched to breaking point throughout the course of this book, but, crucially, both men find ways to rise above it with single-minded, (some might say obsessive) determination and a staunch clarity of vision only possible in great works of fiction.

Mention this book to any seasoned comic reader, no matter how cynical and web-weary, and they’ll grow misty-eyed and nostalgic. It is, like a classic of cinema or an album that tethers one to a benighted, embellished youth, an experience to be savoured and enjoyed. Again and again.

Friday, 17 January 2014

Members of the British comedy group ‘Monty Python’ will reunite for a one-off live show next July. According to a press conference given by the comedy legends, the group wants to see if they are “still funny”.

Original members Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones will perform together for the first time in over 30 years.

According to the group, the show’s content will include “some of Monty Python’s greatest hits, with modern, topical, Pythonesque twists”. However, John Cleese has promised that there will also be some new material.

‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, a surreal, DaDa inspired comedy sketch show, first hit British screens in 1969 and remained extremely popular with audiences until it ended in 1974. The show acted as the voice of a new generation, with a fresh approach to comedy and an irreverent, sometimes controversial, edge. Many of the group’s most famous sketches have become treasured parts of British popular culture.

The group released their first feature film ‘And Now For Something Completely Different’ in 1971, but it wasn’t until 1974’s ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ that they filmed an entire movie of new material. The film is an enduring comedy classic, as is its sequel, the controversial ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ (1979). The group’s third feature film ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’ (1983) was a jet black comedy that was closer in style to the sketch show format of the series, but did not fare as well critically or commercially, despite garnering strong fan support.

In 1989, founding member Graham Chapman sadly passed away from cancer, which put any future reunions in jeopardy.

Following Chapman’s untimely passing, Eric Idle famously stated, “We would only do a reunion if Chapman came back from the dead. So we’re negotiating with his agent.”

Since then, the Pythons have occasionally reformed, with the shows usually featuring an urn containing the ‘ashes’ of Chapman (in reality, his ashes were scattered on Mount Snowdon, Wales by his partner David Sherlock). The urn was, in one instance ‘accidentally’ knocked over on stage before being vacuumed up with a Dust Buster.

The new show is going to feature classic sketches that have never been performed live. Idle, who is also the show’s director, has said that it is going to resemble “a huge musical” in style, whilst John Cleese warned, “The main danger we have is that the audience know the scripts better than we do.”

During the aforementioned press conference, Michael Palin stated that the group “still enjoy getting together to be very silly”.

“After you turn 70, you can be absolutely shameless,” joked Terry Gilliam.

Prior to this news, the troupe’s most recent live performance took place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in September 1980, but it has been 40 years since the Pythons last performed on stage in the UK.

The most expensive tickets have been announced at £95, but the cheapest seats will costs just £26.50, with Idle quipping that it was “only £300 cheaper than The Stones”

“I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!” said Terry Jones.

The show will also be made available on DVD & Blu Ray later in the year.

Friday, 3 January 2014

Originally conceived by science fiction writer Murray Leinster and utilized in his 1945 novella ‘First Contact’, the universal translator is a device that translates any language into a language known to the device’s user.

Most people reading this article will be infinitely more familiar with the universal translator as featured in ‘Star Trek’ and its various incarnations. Star Trek’s version of the translator is actually an extremely effective plot device, allowing aliens from anywhere in the universe to speak perfect English, even if they have never met a Human being a day in their lives (and thus allowing the writers of ‘Star Trek’ the freedom to not have to explain why each alien race speaks English so well in every other episode). In reality, alien linguistics would likely be so alien that they could take generations to decipher and even prove to be impossible for Human vocal chords to mimic.

On a more ‘down to earth’ level, a universal translator would decode any/all languages spoken on earth instantly (or near-instantly), allowing a person speaking Mandarin Chinese to freely converse with a person speaking Hindi with no miscommunications whatsoever.

Why we want it:

Such technology could really benefit the Human race in its quest for world peace.

In much the same way that the Internet has made it harder for various politically motivated factions to create propaganda about those they wish to invade (because now we can simply ask them if the stories are true or not), a universal translator would help people to reach a shared understanding.

Nothing would ever be lost in translation and everything would be clearly and effectively understood.

The downside, of course, is that people would not have to learn another language in order to communicate with other people, this, I feel, really would be a shame, as a culture’s views, experiences and legacy are often enshrined in its language, meaning that learning another language really is a window into a larger world with many different points of view.

When can we expect it?

You can see a crap version of this technology if you use ‘Google Translate’, but that’s only useful if you’re decoding simple phrases and words.

Early versions of the universal translator as seen in ‘Star Trek’ (and other series), do actually exist. American troops in Iraq employed the TRANSTAC program, (which automatically translated Arabic-English), before replacing it with the BOLT program (Broad Operational Language Translation), which serves as the current version of the US army translator.

However, the translator that allows us to freely chat in two distinct languages (and still be understood) has yet to be invented. In my estimation, the technology could one day exist and we’ll probably see its true prototype within the next 50 years, as such an invention will likely become a necessity of business by the mid 21st Century.

If I had to pick someone who was likely to invent it, I’d go with Google. It is in their best interests to come up with it first.

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

NASCAR officials have enthusiastically embraced MOTOTRBO, and they applaud the benefits it has brought to the NASCAR experience. Smooth Management of Communications Traffic MOTOTRBO “does a super job for us,” according to Kerry Tharp, Director of Communications, NASCAR. “You have to communicate pre-race, during the race, and most importantly for us, post-race because when the race is over, that’s when our media operation kicks in for us full-bore. We bring in our top three drivers for interviews; we bring in our winning driver to the victory lane, and we also check in on the garage to make sure that post-race is going along as it should. We have to make sure we’re communicating quickly and concisely. Through MOTOTRBO, we’re able to do our jobs a whole lot better than we have in the past.”

A Clear Road for Communications Digital provided a measurable improvement over NASCAR’s old system, which sometimes had a slower response time. “MOTOTRBO has taken NASCAR to a whole new level.” Steve Lowery, Chief Scorer, NASCAR, explains, “With the old system, there was a lot of interference. Sometimes you couldn’t hear at all because of static. With MOTOTRBO, it’s much clearer.”

Consistency and Reliability

You’d Expect from a Winner According to David Hoots, Managing Event Director, NASCAR, one of the most important benefits is “extended battery life because some of our days are extremely long. We have to be able to communicate consistently and reliably. MOTOTRBO has done a super job for us.” Hoots adds that MOTOTRBO is the first step toward an even more comprehensive communications system: “We took the opportunity to start with a very solid foundation and we will grow with the capabilities the radios offer. With a digital system, we’re going to reap the benefits for years to come.” “ With the old system, there was a lot of interference. Sometimes you couldn’t hear at all because of static. Now, with MOTOTRBO, it’s much clearer.”

Robust Enough for the Toughest Environments The NASCAR study, Hoots recalls, determined that the organization needed “one clear and uninterrupted communication system, and because we move from venue to venue, we’re faced with a big challenge.” The robust, durable and adaptable MOTOTRBO system was able to move from location to location – over 56 events every year, almost every month of the year – for quick deployment and certain performance. “Reliability,” says Hoots, “is of utmost importance. We cannot have a product that is going to fail. We must have the most robust system possible, so MOTOTRBO is the right system for us.” According to Michael Helton, President, NASCAR, “Fans have become interested in the entertainment aspect of listening in, so we still want an analogue system going out for fans who still use analog radios.” The ability of MOTOTRBO to support digital and analogue communications made it the perfect selection for

this blended environment that had to accommodate fans in the stands who want to scan for instant updates using older analog radios.

Twice the Capacity

MOTOTRBO is able to manage large numbers of radios by utilizing TDMA – time division multiple

access – which divides the channel into time slots for greater spectrum efficiency. TDMA enables each single repeater to do the work of two repeaters for enhanced call management with private, group, and system-wide calling capability. Digital Means Clarity MOTOTRBO supports audio quality with digital clarity and noise-canceling technology so that everyone is able to connect with one another and communicate more efficiently. MOTOTRBO radios contain a digital signal processor (DSP) that fine-tunes the audio. When a user connects an IMPRES™ intelligent audio accessory to a MOTOTRBO radio, the accessory provides the radio’s DSP with a unique set of audio parameters to shape the microphone and speaker frequency responses, ensuring the maximum clarity, volume, and intelligibility of each communication. “ Fans have become interested in the entertainment aspect of listening in, so we still want an analog system going out for fans who still use analog radios.”

Batteries Go Farther on a Single Charge MOTOTRBO is able to maintain consistent, reliable communications. All digital radios provide improved battery life, and because TDMA digital systems

utilize batteries more efficiently, users have received up to 18 hours of operation after quick-charging a standard nickel metal hydride battery. Talk-time is now extended and personnel spend less time returning to base to recharge their radios or pick up fresh batteries.

Robust Enough to Take on the Road

One key advantage of MOTOTRBO is that it’s designed to be packed up, moved to a new location and set up, only to be taken down days later and moved again. To withstand that kind of constant use, a radio has to be strong, and MOTOTRBO has proven to be very strong, robust, and durable.